This invention relates to safety walkers, and more particularly, to a foldable front-entry walker that resists movement of the walker during a backward fall by the user.
Ambulation devices, such as walkers, have long been known in the prior art. In its most basic form, such a walker comprises a frame made up of a plurality of tubular members that a person enters from the rear and stands behind. The entire structure is in front of the person. The walker often has rubber feet that contact the floor. In order to move the walker in any direction, usually forward, the person typically must pick up the walker and simultaneously move it and himself/herself as well. Sometimes wheels are provided for some or all of the legs. The wheels obviate the need to pick up the walker in order to move it. In any event, this type of walker is feasible only for people with relatively minor disabilities where there is little or no chance that the user will lose his/her balance and fall. Such a walker would not prevent the falling person to strike the ground and possibly injure himself/herself.
Other walkers are known that are built to "surround" the person in a frame, and usually include a seat. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,912 to Harroun. In this walker, the seat functions merely as a resting device. There is little the walker could do to prevent a person falling backward from injury. This is because the walker will move when the falling person contacts any part of the walker. Other walkers, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,948, have a seat that provides a portable resting place for the user. To use the seat however, the patient must turn around or bring the walker behind him/her.
Persons with Parkinson's Disease, multiple cerebral infarcts, orthopedic and arthritic afflictions of the legs and feet, and other similar conditions frequently tilt, shuffle, stumble and fall as a result of diseases of the bone, joint and nervous systems. Also, persons with Parkinson's Disease, hydrocephalus, multiple small strokes, and other neurologic conditions affecting the basal ganglia, ventricular system, and the long motor tracts bordering the ventricles of the brain have a defect of the righting reflex. Those afflicted often stumble backwards, retropulse, either spontaneously or in response to a minor stimulus. They also stumble when turning. Persons with bony deformities of the legs and feet can also fall backwards uncontrollably from mechanical disadvantage.
Backward falls are the most dangerous events when persons use a walker. When a person falls or steps backwards, he/she must be stopped by an object which will not flip over once it has met the force of the falling body. Any structure may tip over if enough torque causes the object to rotate on the fulcrum of a fixed point. Although most modern walkers have height adjustable legs, are lightweight and of stable construction, they can not adequately stop a person who falls backwards.
However, the foldable safety walker described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,422 to Sorrell et al. is an exception in that it provides resistance to backward falls. A key feature of that patent is that the rear legs are bent backwards at an angle which resists the force of the falling body. Further, the walker has a seat at the rear of the walker. Therefore, the user can sit down in a natural, safe movement, avoiding further risk of falling. The walker is foldable into a compact unit. A number of foldable joints are provided to facilitate the folding (see FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6-8). However, the seat is made from a flexible material; thus the seat, not being rigid, is not foldable in a manner much like that of a chair with a rigid seat back and seat cushion.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker with a foldable seat disposed at the rear of the walker, the walker having a predetermined resistance to backward rolling motion of the walker.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that prevents the user from falling to the floor when the user falls backward toward the seat of the walker.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that prevents serious injury to a user when that person falls backward.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that has little or no backward motion when the force of a backward-falling person contacts the seat of the walker.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that is of the front-entry type in that a user walks within the frame of the walker and forward of the seat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that is lightweight (approximately 12 pounds or less), and that is quickly and easily foldable for ease of storage and transportability.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that allows the user freedom of movement while, at the same time, providing a sense of safety to the user.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that does not flip over once the rigid seat cushion or rigid seat back has met the force of the falling body.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a foldable safety walker that has a seat and a frame such that it provides both a space and a support for walking forward of the seat, such that a person with limited walking ability may stand erect and walk forward by stepping or shuffling his/her feet.
The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.